Thomas Ramey

%%wppa%%
%%slide=35%%

Thomas is a freelance metal artist who builds everything from fine art pieces, to furniture, to large-scale architectural projects. Thomas has been working with metals for over 20 years. Starting as an apprentice for an Indy car racing machine shop in high school. Thomas quickly started to see more than parts, and started building odd sculptures with the leftover pieces of steel. After walking away from art to become a touring musician for a decade, Thomas returned with a vengeance, as soon as he returned to art, he had a mission, to turn the sketches he had been doodling with on the road into reality. Thomas opened a studio in the historic Stutz arts and business center, in Indianapolis. This studio would be the home and beginning to more than he had dreamed. Spending four years there, Thomas soon got the attention of many interior designers and architects that wanted him to do larger scale projects. Thomas began working in the upscale neighborhoods of Indianapolis and Chicago. One of Thomas’ chandeliers was commissioned for a house in Lake Forest Ill. that was built by Francis Ford Coppola’s grandfather, for his mother. After working with various metals, from aluminum, brass, copper, bronze and mild steel, Thomas feels most at home with mild steel. “It is such a maluable material that I can’t stop going to it”. In 2003, Thomas’ work got the attention of a group that was doing a TV show about art and building high-end furniture out of used aircraft parts. Thomas was hired to be a supporting cast member/ metal artist, for Discovery Channels original series, “Wingnuts” The series ran for the fall season of 2004, with 10 episodes. In Jan. of 2005, Discovery Channel called on Thomas to do another TV show, “Monster House”. In April of 2005, Thomas found himself again on Television, showing the world what he does best, doing awesome metal work. The episode, “Monster Club” was filmed while remodeling the famous Sunset Strip nightclub, The Cat Club, owned by Stray Cats drummer, Slim Jim Phantom. Such a fitting job for a man who once toured the United States for a decade.

Soon after the Discovery Channel work was finished, Thomas opened a second studio, in Los Angeles. Now, not only is Thomas working in the mid-west, he is pushing his talents into fine homes from Brentwood to Malibu. Thomas’ artwork has shown in galleries from Cleveland Ohio, to Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. With a love for geometric design, Thomas feels most of his work is rooted in balanced perspectives. Meaning, “To find a natural flow that is derived from the organized chaos that is geometric form” Thomas’ attention to detail and perfection, is imbedded into his craft from the years as an apprentice with some of Indy Cart racing’s best fabricators. The work of Thomas Ramey is that of an artist who knows no limit to his craft, and is always searching for the next idea to bring to life.